Best Video Editing Software for Linux in 2026: Open-Source Editors, Resolve and Helper Tools

The best video editing software for Linux starts with Kdenlive, a free open-source editor built by the KDE community. Shotcut and OpenShot are the other free open-source choices, and DaVinci Resolve is the option for professional color and audio work if your setup meets Blackmagic's Linux requirements.

Enlisted lists only a handful of dedicated video editors for Linux, so this guide also covers the tools around the editor: recording, converting, audio and playback. Other Linux editors that are not in the catalogue yet are left out rather than described from memory. Each pick names the install formats or platforms its own site lists.

What should a Linux user check before choosing a video editor?

Two things decide most Linux choices: how the app is packaged for your distribution, and whether a commercial editor actually supports it.

Packaging differs by project. Kdenlive's download page lists an AppImage and a Flatpak. Shotcut lists a portable tarball, an AppImage, Flathub and the Snap Store, and names the 64-bit distributions it targets, including Mint, Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Manjaro, MX Linux and elementary OS, with a note that you may need to install JACK from your distribution. OpenShot lists an AppImage and a Snap, and points apt users to its official PPA.

For commercial editors, read the requirements. Blackmagic's specifications page lists Rocky Linux 8.6 as the Linux operating system for DaVinci Resolve, so confirm how your own distribution is covered. Final Cut Pro is for Mac and iPad, and Enlisted's entry for Adobe Premiere Pro lists no Linux version, so neither is a Linux option here. If you are replacing one of them, see the Premiere Pro alternatives.

How we picked

Enlisted started from the video editing category and kept editors whose own pages or catalogue entries confirm Linux, plus open-source tools that cover recording, converting and audio. Open-source projects needed recent commits on GitHub. Licences are quoted as the catalogue lists them, and nothing was scored on render speed or output quality. The method is in how Enlisted ranks tools.

Best open-source video editors for Linux

1. Kdenlive: best all-round open-source video editor for Linux

Kdenlive is a free, open-source video editor developed by the KDE community and built on the MLT multimedia framework, for everything from quick family videos to larger projects. Enlisted lists video production on the Linux desktop among its use cases.

It has a multi-track timeline, with video effects from frei0r and audio effects from LADSPA plugins, and a Qt interface using KDE Frameworks 6. It is released under GPL-3.0, and the project publishes stable releases and daily builds. The download page offers an AppImage and a Flatpak for Linux. See the Kdenlive page.

• Best for: Linux users who want a full multi-track editor without a licence fee.
• Watch out for: the download page lists only an AppImage and a Flatpak, so check that one of them suits your distribution.

2. Shotcut: best cross-platform editor with many Linux package formats

Shotcut is a free, open-source video editor written in C++ with Qt 6, using MLT as its editing engine and FFmpeg for formats and codecs. It is released under GPL-3.0, and it also runs on Windows and macOS, so a project can follow you to another machine.

For Linux, its site offers a portable tarball, an AppImage, Flathub and the Snap Store, and lists the distribution versions it targets. It may also need JACK installed from your distribution. The Shotcut entry shows its release activity.

• Best for: Linux users who want a choice of package formats and a clear list of supported distributions.
• Watch out for: Enlisted's data lists no templates or auto-caption tools, so expect to build edits yourself.

3. OpenShot: best open-source editor for drag-and-drop editing and animated titles

OpenShot is a free, open-source editor for Linux, Mac and Windows, built with Python, C++ and Qt on top of FFmpeg. It supports unlimited tracks and layers, a drag-and-drop timeline with zooming and snapping, curve-based keyframe animation, 3D animated titles and scrolling credits.

Its download page lists an AppImage and a Snap for 64-bit Linux and mentions an official PPA for apt users. Chroma key and other effects are included, and hardware encoding and decoding is an experimental option. See the OpenShot page.

• Best for: Linux beginners who want animated titles and a drag-and-drop timeline.
• Watch out for: Enlisted lists the licence as "Other", and hardware encoding is experimental.

For a first-editor shortlist across platforms, see the video editing software for beginners guide.

Best commercial editors that run on Linux

4. DaVinci Resolve: best professional editor with a free version on Linux

DaVinci Resolve is Blackmagic Design's application for editing, color grading, visual effects and audio post-production, and Blackmagic lists it for Mac, Windows and Linux. Its workspaces include Cut and Edit for editing, Color, Fusion for effects and motion graphics, and Fairlight for audio.

Blackmagic says the free version works with most 8-bit video formats up to Ultra HD resolution and includes multi-user collaboration and HDR grading, while the paid Studio version adds AI tools, extra effects and noise reduction. The Linux operating system on its specifications page is Rocky Linux 8.6. The DaVinci Resolve page has the listing.

• Best for: Linux users who need professional color and audio tools and can meet Blackmagic's requirements.
• Watch out for: it is closed source, the specifications name a single Linux distribution, and Studio-only features need a paid licence.

5. Lightworks: best free-to-start editor with an upgrade path on Linux

Lightworks is a nonlinear video editor with a long history in film and television, with a free edition and paid Create and Pro tiers. Enlisted lists it for Windows, macOS and Linux, and its tools cover editing, audio, effects and color correction.

The vendor describes the free edition as a streamlined toolset for beginners, and its feature comparison lists 720p export on the free tier, with paid tiers adding higher resolutions. See the Lightworks page.

• Best for: newcomers who want a free edition now and a professional tier later.
• Watch out for: it is closed source, and the free edition's export resolution is limited.

Best for editing in a 3D suite or in the browser

6. Blender: best open-source 3D suite with a built-in video sequencer

Blender is a free, open-source 3D creation suite that covers modeling, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing and video editing. Blender's own page describes a Video Sequencer for cuts and splicing, masking, color grading, speed control, transitions, keyframes, filters and audio mixing.

It suits people who already use Blender for animation or effects and want to edit in the same program. Enlisted's entry does not list platforms, so confirm the Linux build or package on Blender's own download page. The Blender page shows recent activity.

• Best for: animators and 3D artists who want to cut footage inside Blender.
• Watch out for: it is a 3D suite first, so a plain cut-and-export job takes more navigation than in a dedicated editor.

7. OpenCut: best open-source browser editor to follow

OpenCut is a free, open-source video editor aimed at the web and presented as an alternative to CapCut, released under the MIT licence. Because a classic version runs in the browser at opencut.app, it works on Linux without a native package.

The project is being rewritten from the ground up around a Rust core, with a plugin-first design, an Editor API and desktop and mobile apps planned. Treat the planned features as plans, not shipped tools. See the OpenCut page.

• Best for: Linux users who want a quick, free edit in a browser and are happy to follow a project still in development.
• Watch out for: a rewrite is under way, and the desktop and mobile apps are planned rather than released.

Best Linux tools around the editor

An editor rarely works alone. These tools cover recording, converting, playback and audio, and all are open source. For wider coverage of the category, see the best video editing software guide.

8. OBS Studio: best for recording and streaming on Linux

OBS Studio is a free, open-source program for recording video and streaming live on Windows, macOS and Linux, written mainly in C and C++ under GPL-2.0. Content is built as scenes from sources such as window captures, webcams, images and text, with an audio mixer that includes noise suppression and VST plugin support.

It is a capture tool, not a timeline editor, so most people record in OBS and cut the result in Kdenlive, Shotcut or OpenShot. The OBS Studio page has the details.

• Best for: tutorials, screencasts and live streams recorded on Linux.
• Watch out for: it does not edit footage, so you still need an editor.

9. HandBrake: best for converting and shrinking video files

HandBrake is an open-source, multiplatform video transcoder that runs on Windows, macOS and Linux and turns video from almost any format into current, widely supported codecs. People use it to prepare video for phones and TVs or to reduce file size.

It converts rather than edits, which makes it a useful last step after an export. Its repository lists the licence as "Other", with GPL licensing indicated on its site, so check the exact terms before redistributing. See the HandBrake page.

• Best for: shrinking or converting finished videos and old footage.
• Watch out for: it is a transcoder with no timeline, and the exact licence terms need checking.

10. FFmpeg: best command-line toolbox for cutting, converting and scripting

FFmpeg is a set of open-source libraries and command-line tools for processing audio, video, subtitles and metadata, widely used as the engine behind conversion and streaming software. Shotcut and OpenShot both list FFmpeg for format and codec support.

Its filter graphs, probing tool and container support suit scripted conversion and transcoding pipelines. Most of the code is under the LGPL, with optional GPL components. The FFmpeg page lists activity.

• Best for: users comfortable with a terminal who want to script conversions and transcoding.
• Watch out for: it has no graphical editor, and the licence varies by component, so read the LICENSE file.

11. VLC: best for playing and checking almost any video file

VLC is a free, open-source media player and multimedia engine from the VideoLAN project that plays most multimedia files, discs, streams and capture devices on GNU/Linux and many other platforms. It can also convert, encode and stream media.

It is handy for previewing footage in an unusual format before you import it, or checking an exported file. It is released under GPLv2 or later. See the VLC page.

• Best for: quickly playing and checking raw clips and exports.
• Watch out for: it is a player first, and its conversion tools are not an editor.

12. Audacity: best free audio editor for cleaning up video soundtracks

Audacity is a free, open-source multi-track audio editor and recorder for Windows, macOS and Linux. It can tidy a voice track or record narration before the audio goes back into the video editor.

For music production rather than cleanup, the best DAW software guide covers Ardour and others. The Audacity page has the catalogue entry.

• Best for: cleaning up narration or recording voice-overs on Linux.
• Watch out for: it edits audio only, so you export the result and bring it into your video editor.

Other Linux options worth a look

Super Recorder is a screen recorder for Windows and Linux with built-in editing and sharing, and Enlisted lists a free tier. It is closed source and its listing does not spell out features, so read its site first. Ardour is an open-source digital audio workstation for Linux, Windows and macOS if your projects need serious audio mixing.

If you also edit on a Mac, the Mac video editing guide covers the Mac builds of Kdenlive, Shotcut and DaVinci Resolve.

How to choose video editing software for Linux

• One free, open-source editor to start: Kdenlive.
• Most package formats and a cross-platform project: Shotcut.
• Drag-and-drop editing and animated titles: OpenShot.
• Professional color and audio: DaVinci Resolve, after reading its Linux requirements.
• Free edition with a paid upgrade path: Lightworks.
• Animation plus editing in one program: Blender.
• Recording tutorials or streams: OBS Studio, then edit in one of the editors above.
• Converting or shrinking files: HandBrake or FFmpeg.

Start with Kdenlive or Shotcut in the package format your distribution handles best, finish one short project, and add DaVinci Resolve only if you hit a color or audio limit.